Today’s News

NIGHTMARE GROSS FOR WITCH 2

The Blair Witch phenomenon is officially dead. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, the much-maligned follow-up to last year's indie success story The Blair Witch Project, was beaten at the box office over the weekend by the seemingly-unstoppable Meet the Parents. The Robert De Niro comedy spent its fourth consecutive week at No. 1, grossing another $15.1 million. (It's 24-day total stands at $100 million.) Witch 2, meanwhile, opened at No. 2, grossing a paltry $13.1 million. (By contrast, the original earned $29 million during its debut weekend.) Despite the disappointing haul, a spokesperson for Artisan Entertainment tells USA Today that plans are still underway for a Blair Witch 3  dubbed as a prequel to the original. Two newcomers, the kiddie flick The Little Vampire and the John Travolta dark comedy Lucky Numbers, failed to cast a spell on moviegoers either. Vampire, starring Jonathan Lipnicki, opened at No. 6 with $5.5 million, just ahead of Numbers, which brought in $4.6 million. Rounding out the top five: Remember the Titans at No. 3 ($8.0 million), Bedazzled at No. 4 ($7.7 million) and Pay it Forward at No. 5 ($6.9 million).